Page 5 of Commander's Slave
“Don’t forget to put your shoes on,” Draken said, guiding his floating chair closer to her. With a frown, he stared down at her feet. Her face flamed when she followed his gaze. “What happened?” he asked with a nod at her right foot, which was missing a pinky toe.
Memories of cold and snow and desperation surged through her. She clutched the bag of clothing and fumbled to slip her feet into the shoes, wanting to hide her disfigurement. Not because she didn’t want Draken to see it, but becauseshedidn’t wish to look at it. She didn’t want to remember the freezing snowdrift she’d collapsed in, not far from the refugee camp in Vermont, or the confusion that had whirled through her when she’d awoken in a medical tent, only to immediately glimpse a metal tray containing a scalpel, blood, and one small, purple gangrenous toe. “Feared I’d have to take off all your toes on that foot,” the human medic who’d treated her later said.
Did her father know what she’d gone through in order to escape marriage to Ambassador Merokk? Did her father care that she’d nearly frozen to death in her efforts to reach the relative safety of a refugee camp? Did he care that she’d lost a toe? Did he care that she’d been sold as a slave in the Sumlin District on the Kall homeworld, never to return to Earth again?
Every time she looked at her right foot, her mind went down the rabbit hole of self-pity and loneliness and fucking Daddy issues. Her father could’ve saved her from everything bad that had happened to her, if only he’d tried harder. If only he’d cared. But he hadn’t even tried to save her from the betrothal to a fierce Kall warrior. That’s what hurt the most. Not that he couldn’t help her, but that he hadn’t even tried.
“Never mind,” Draken said after a long silence, his calm voice tugging her back to reality. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
“Thank you for the clothing and the shoes and everything else, Master,” she said, speaking for the first time to the Kall who’d purchased her. She dared a glance at him and saw an unmistakable glint of kindness in his eyes.
The lights in the shop reflected off the gray streaking his black hair as he shook his head. “I am not your master, human girl. Come, let us go to my home, and I will explain everything.”
Chapter 3
Betsy gulped the water greedily,delighting in the rivulets running down her throat as it quenched her thirst. After wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she clutched the emptied glass and stared hungrily at the bowl of exotic, alien fruit a female servant was placing on the table. She didn’t dare hope that it was meant for her and hurriedly looked away.
“Eat your fill, human girl.” To her surprise, Draken pushed the bowl closer to her.
She eyed him warily for a long moment before extending her hand to the bowl. “Th-thank you.” She popped a slice of something juicy and red into her mouth, and her taste buds exploded with pleasure. Tears sprang to her eyes, she was so grateful for Draken’s kindness. It had been so long since anyone had shown her even the smallest consideration.
A shiver rushed through her as she recalled her time spent aboard theMerrina. While aboard the slaveship, on most days she had been lucky to receive just one small tray of food.
After eating her fill of the fruit, ever aware of Draken’s curious gaze on her, she sat back and regarded him uneasily. He claimed he wasn’t her master, but she wasn’t sure what that meant.
“What is your name, human girl?”
Pressing her lips together, she shook her head. “I am sorry, Draken, but I can’t tell you my name.” Fear clenched inside her at the thought of lying to him and making up a name. How would he react if he caught her in an untruth? Would he beat her? Or order someone else to punish her? Her stomach tightened with fear as he frowned at her, but his next words stunned her.
“Very well. But I must call you something,” he said, drumming his fingers on the table as a thoughtful look entered his gaze. “Until you trust me enough to tell me your name, I will call you Heslla. We have beautiful orange flowers on the mountaintop called Heslla that are the exact same shade as your hair.”
Betsy touched her hair. “Heslla,” she repeated, and a strange warmth filled her. But she couldn’t help but worry that his kindness was a trick of some sort. Would he soon turn on her and treat her with cruelty? Slaves on the Kall homeworld weren’t meant to have an easy life.
“I cannot own a slave, Heslla,” he said, not for the first time surprising her. “I am affiliated with a religious order called the Holy Ones, and we condemn the very idea of slavery. To own a slave would be to forsake my holy brothers and sisters. Today I bought you in the name of my younger brother, Edek. He will be your master.”
A ball of tension tightened in Betsy’s gut. “Is he here in this house? My master?”
“No. Edek hasn’t returned from the war against Earth yet. He has no knowledge of the gift I bought him today, and I suspect he’ll be displeased when he arrives home. You see, little Heslla, his wife and sons died when the humans blew up the mines on our homeworld. Edek, as you might imagine, now holds a deep hatred for all humans.” Draken’s eyes became haunted and he stared at the ceiling for a long moment before returning his gaze to hers.
The mines. Betsy’s mind reeled with this information. The explosion of the mines on the Kall homeworld and the two towns nearest to them—which had been caused by an illegal mining operation run by humans—had been viewed as an act of war by the Kall, thus resulting in the invasion and conquering of Earth. And her new Master had lost his family because of humans…
Her heart raced and sweat broke out on her brow at the prospect of belonging to a Kall warrior like Edek, a warrior who harbored an intense dislike for humans such as herself.
Surely Edek wouldn’t treat her as kindly as Draken had thus far. Perhaps he would even enjoy tormenting her. She shuddered and wrapped her arms around her center, attempting to fight off an impending chill as her toes and fingers once again tingled with the prickling sensation of frostbite, despite the warm temperature of the dining room.
“Then why did you buy me for him if he hates my kind?” she asked once she got her shaking somewhat under control.
“Because I couldn’t allow Teyya to buy you.”
Betsy didn’t know how to respond, so she remained silent and stared at the table as her mind painted a dreadful picture of Edek. If he’d gone to fight against Earth, that meant he was a fierce Kall warrior who had much blood on his hands. She imagined him towering over her when they finally met and glaring at her with hatred gleaming in a pair of dark, intense eyes.
“Until Edek returns, I hope you will be willing to help me with my physical therapy every morning outside as the sun rises. A Holy One can teach you all you need to know to best help me. I was wounded during the explosions that killed Edek’s family and I am hoping to walk one day soon.”
Though he made it sound as if she had a choice about helping him, Betsy wasn’t about to refuse. Especially when he’d clothed and fed her and promised not to hurt her. Her throat burned. Maybe if she did a good job of helping him, he would decide to keep her rather than give her to his human-loathing brother, despite his apparent stance against owning slaves.
She nodded in agreement. “Of course, I will try my best to help you with your physical therapy,” she replied, forcing a brief smile.
“Thank you.” An apologetic look crossed his features. “I’m afraid, circumstances being what they are, you will also need to help the servants with cleaning the house and serving meals, and you will sleep in their quarters as well. You are a slave, and I cannot change that, and I cannot treat you as a guest and force my servants to wait on you as a guest. I-I hope you understand.”
